Serving Others

Memorial Day honors fallen soldiers. We remember their service to our freedoms and country. Most veterans I know say were not heroes. The heroes were those who did not come home.

While this is a great point, we have the soldiers’ and families’ sacrifices including missing time with loved ones. While they say just doing my job, it is quite a job the soldiers and veterans preformed.

People overlook the benefits of military service. You know your work is important and matters. The camaraderie and respect of your peers is hard to replace. As much as they served our country, they served their fellow soldiers. Wartime vets talk about how they fought for the guys with them. They were part of a bigger team and purpose carrying them through hardships.

Blue Angels

We all aren’t soldiers, but we can all serve other people. Charity and service are the biggest joys of life. It gets us out of our heads.

Activities and sports help children grow into responsible adults. Pastors and counselors help people grow through hard times. Charities improve the lives of the suffering. Take comfort with small triumphs. Together we create a better world.

Help a neighbor or relative. Pack or help them move. Lend a skill you have to a stranger or a child. Never know how good you will feel.

This weekend remember those who are no longer with us. Honor veterans and soldiers around us by serving someone who needs it.

Do More Than Thank Veterans

I am a kind, thoughtful and helpful man today because of the vets in my life. Uncles & Great Uncles in WW2, Korea, Vietnam. Working with Army, Navy, Air Force, Seabees, Marines, Coast Guard & Green Berets. Friends who served in Vietnam, Beirut, Germany & around the world. Our finest have taught me much about life, the world, enjoying today, and hard work successfully done.

We would not be the free people we are without their sacrifices. Yet they are less appreciated today than in the past. With the smaller volunteer services , we may know fewer personally. Society today often thinks they are killers, have PSTs, wildly conservative, or act erratic. No they are good people. They are our neighbors. They are in our churches. They are our co-workers.

We have to do more than thank them for their service. They just think they were doing their duty. They have seen much and deserve respect and help succeeding. They also have awesome training and experiences that every company needs.

Most veterans leave their first civilian job within one year. They not only need to be hired, they need to know how to adjust to a different world.

In the military you are told everything. Where to stand, what to eat, when to wake, when to sleep, and sent anywhere they are needed. You don’t think, you do. Transition to the working world where instructions and success are not clear is challenging.

Give them mentors, both civilian and veterans. Explain our missions, and why what we do is important. Let them know we expect they will ask questions. Answer them and encourage them.

Most important, treat them like family. Let them know they are important, and doing their work is appreciated. After a short while, they will be among the most productive coworkers you have. At work we are so grateful they work with us.

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure."

 - General Colin L. Powell

In Honor of Veterans

Woke up this morning thinking of my late Uncle John and the calm character this Korean Veteran had with his little sister’s kids. He kept living with mom in his house, even after marrying the love of his life. He grew two good kids of his own, was a leader in the state insurance department, affected by trench foot & circulation issues in his feet. Uncle John was a beacon of calm in a family that often did not have it.

My late great uncle Bob who I barely remember was a Green Beret.

Uncle Bill married into the family was a Navy man in the Pacific for WW2. He lived to 88, outlived 2 wives, and refused to buy Japanese cars or products. Just enjoyed spending time with him when visiting my family in Florida.

My first job was with several veterans of the Seabee’s (We Build. We Fight) WW2 vets Charlie, Phil, Stan, and many others in the large office of 100. Their kindness with fresh out of college kids, working hard, telling jokes, and occasionally singing the Seabee’s anthem for no reason at all. They are part of the reason I never feared growing old.

At another company worked with Stan who was a German prisoner of WW2. Mistreated, tortured and starved. Stan came back and his military doctor told him not to hold it in. So instead Stan told everyone the truth and even shared it with school presentations. He always had a smile and truly enjoy life, family and work.

At my age have a lot of Vietnam veteran co-workers and friends over the years. Remember the stories Tom told being an aircraft mechanic. His friends being tunnel rats or taking small boats up the river to bring the fight. Tom was most proud of his kids.

Thinking about the men and women vets have worked with it is not their discipline that stands out. Not their contributions to work. It is the humanity, caring, charity, faith and their confidence if something went wrong, they had been through worse, and had faith all would thrive.

The greatness of this country came from ordinary people who were willing to do the extraordinary, and then come home to raise families, work hard, and enjoy life. They are also the reason I mentor others and believe things will always get better.